A mentally ill inmate is dead in New York City after he was left in a jail cell that had temperatures elevated over 100 degrees. As the Associated Press reported on Wednesday, March 19, 2014, the inmate was essentially "baked to death" inside of his own jail cell.

The inmate was a mentally ill homeless veteran and died in February while in his cell.

The inmate was 56-year-old Jerome Murdough, was held in the observation unit of Rikers Island due to his mental illness. He had been charged with trespassing which led to his being placed in the observation ward.

Murdough was taking anti-psychotic and anti-seizure medicine and it appears at this time that part of the reason his cell got so overheated was due to a simple mistake. Officials state that he did not open a small vent that would allow cool air into his cell to even out the temperature.

City officials state that Murdough had not been checked on for hours, and he ended up almost literally "baking himself to death" due to the extreme heat.

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